On my team we like to joke that we’re God’s favourites in the squad and this month we have reason again to think this. You see in the first month we were ten minutes from the beach in an area of the Philippines that is a popular tourist destination. Then last month we were based in an area with a number of western amenities with a clear mission whilst some teams didn’t know where they would even be day to day. This month we have been blessed to once again be by the sea, this time a popular surfers’ destination. God’s favourites :-p
Obviously, whilst we feel very grateful to be blessed by the locations we’ve had so far, we are not really complacent about why we are here. We have come here to minister and so we are making sure to throw ourselves into the ministry we are a part of, giving of our time and talents in any way we may be able to.
I don’t have much in the way of photos to share with you, but I can show you this panoramic shot I took from atop one of the mountains overlooking our town which a few of us hiked our first Sunday (click for a larger view).
I hope to share more photos as the month goes on of some of the things we have done but let me give you a quick rundown of some of the ways we are able to be a part of the ministry we are with – Volunteer in South Africa.
- One of the main things that this ministry does is engage with the local children, particularly from the nearby township, Capricorn, to get them off the streets – to give them activities that they enjoy, to show them that they are valued and to share the good news of Jesus with them. There are two major projects that address this and these are:
- A surf school that meets down on the beach,
- And a soccer project that takes place just outside of Capricorn.
- We are also helping out by getting involved in some other local projects and churches, including:
- A mentoring project in two other locations that involves meeting up with kids on Wednesdays for an educational session and on Fridays for a more chilled out time of fun;
- A feeding project done in partnership with the Hillsong Capetown church that engages hundreds once a week and also includes things like face painting for the children;
- A gardening project working with members of the local community in Tembelatu;
- Helping Mandy, the director, think and plan through how to develop the organisation and its impact;
- Leading worship at a local church;
- And more.
Watch this space for more detail, and send me love and messages, since having internet again means I’m able to respond and have conversations again now 🙂
